Steering-gear for motor-driven vehicles.



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'FOFINl RAKUNZELMAN, OF DUL'UTH, MN'NESTA..

' STEERING-GEAR FOR MOTGR-DRIVEN VEHICLES.

l acuarela.-

' Y 10 all whom it may concern.'

"Be it known that l, JOHN R. KUNZELMAN, -a citizen of the United States, residing at Duluth, in the county of St. Louis and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steering-Gear for Motor-Driven Vehicles; and I do hereby declarev the following to be a ofull, clear, and

exactvde'scription of .the invention, such as .will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

' My invention relates to improvements in steering-gear for motor driven vehicles; and, to this end, it consists of the novel devices and combinations ofdevices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

I n the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters in-- par-ts sectioned on the line m2 Q02 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vfragment-ary detail view, partly cal section taken; on theline m3 w3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a view'corresponding to Fig. 1, but showing another form 'of the improved steering-gear, some parts being sectioned on the line wt mt of Fig. 5 and Fig. 5 is a plan view ofthe parts shown in Fig. 4, with The parts, thus far described,- may be of thel some parts removed and some parts sectioned ,bn the line m5 m5 of Fig. 4.

0f the parts of the vehicle illustrated, it is important to note the frame 1, rigid front axle'2, stub axles 3 pivoted tothe axle 2 and. having rearwardly and horizontally proJecting arms 4, tie rod 5 connecting the arms .4, front wheels 6 journaled on the stub axles 3, and seat 7 mounted on the frame 1.

standard or of any desired construction.

Referring, first, to the invention, as illustrated in Figs. l, 2 and 3, 'the numeral 8 indicates an arm rigidly .secured to the right vhand end of the tie rod 5. To the free end of this arm 8, is pivotally secured one end of a steering rod 9. Of course, the\steering rod 9 may be secured directly to one of the arms 4 or an extension thereof. The other end of the steering rod 9 has screw-threaded Specification of Letters Patent.

patented nele. se, raie.,

Application filed November 26, 1915. Serial No. 63,422.

engagement with the heavy nut block 10 rigidly bolted to the frame 1. The steering rod'9 extends transversely of the vehicle, parallel to the tie rod 5 and at its intermediate portion is journaled to a dependingbracket 11, also rigidly secured to the frame 1. AsA the steering rod 9 is secured in part to the frame 1 and in part to the front axle 2, it is necessary to provide the same with a ballv and socket joint 12 to permit yielding movement thereof, in view of the 'fact that the frame 1 is supported on the front aXle 2.

This ball and socket joint`l2 is located between the .pivoted end of the steering rod 9' and the bracket 11.l

Mounted on the steering rod 9, between the nut block 10 and the bracket 11', is a pair of friction bevel gears 13 integrally formed, one with the other, and having their beveled faces opposed one to the other. |The steering rod 9 is free for longitudinal sliding move-- f ment through the bevel gears 13, but is held forrotation therewith by a long'4 key 14. Extending between the bevel gears 13, is a bevel friction pinion or cone 15 secured to a motor driven shaft 16, journa'led in-a bearing 17' on the bracket 11. This shaft 16 may be driven directly from' the. motor of the vehicle, not shown, or freinl a moving part in elevation and partly in longitudinal vertidriven by said motor.

vEither one of the gears 13 is moved, at will, into and out of mesh with the pinion 15, depending on which way it is desirous of rotating the steering rod 9; and hence, to steer the'vehicle. To shift the gears 13 into and out of mesh with the pinion 15, is provided a shipper lever 18 in the form of a yoke with its intermediate portion pivoted to .an extension 19 on the bracket 11.` The prongs of the shipper lever 18 are provided `with apertures, through which the steering rod 9 projects, and they embrace the bevel gears 13, as best shown in Fig. 2. Integrally formed with the intermediate portions of the shipper lever 18, is a lever extension 20.

the gears 13 by a hand piece 21 secured to the upper end` of a shaft 22, extended Verticured to said frame. Rigidly' secured to The shipper lever 18 is operated to shift the lower -end of the shaft 22, is an armQl connected to the lever extension 20 by a link 2'5. The ears 13a're xheld in a neutral position by" a at spring 2 6, r@attended transversely through the leverl extension 20. The

upper end of this spring 26 is rigidly secured to the bracket 11 and the lower end thereof extends loosely through an extension 27 on the bracket 11.

The operation of the motor driven steering-gear, shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 and just described, may be briefly stated as follows: lV ith the motor driven shaft 16 rotating in the direction ofthe arrow marked on Fig. 2, the hand piece 21 is moved to the right, when it is desirous of steering the vehicle in a like direction. rlhis movement of the hand piece 21 will shift the right hand gear 13 into frictional contact with the pinion 21, causing the steering rod 9 to rotate in the ball and socket joint 12 'and nut block 10, in the direction of the arrow marked on Fig. 2. As the nut block 10 is anchored to the frame 1, the steering rod 9 will. move longitudinally in the direction of the arrow marked in Fig. 2, and thus impart an angular steering movement to the wheels 6, in a direction to cause the vehicle to turn to the right. As long as lthe hand piece 21 is held in this position, the vehicle will continue to move to the right. When the hand piece 21 is released, the spring 26 will move the gears 13 into a neutral position and the vehicle continue to run in the same direction as set. To steer the vehicle to the left, the movements will be just the reverse from those described. As the steering rod 9 and nut block. 10 positively lock the wheels 6 to the 4frame 1 in steering position, it is i1npossible to lose control of the vehicle, in case the wheels should strike an obstruction, such as a stone, rut or loose material in the roadbed.

Referring now to the hand-actuated steern ing-gear, illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, the elements 1 to 9, inclusive, 11, 12 and 14 are identical, or substantially so, with like elements illustrated in Figs. l to 4, inclusive.

The steering rod 9 is rotated, either to the' left or right and moved longitudinally by a pair of opposed bevel gears 28 and 29 on'the steering rod-9. The gear 28 is held by the key 14 for rotation with the steering rod 9, but with freedom to slide thereon, and the gear 29 has screw-threaded engagement with said steering rod.. The hubs ofthe gears 28 and 29 are journaled in the prongs of a yoke-like bearing 30 and are held against axial removal therefrom by collars 31 on said hubs. The bracket 30 is rigidly secured to the frame l and one end of an upwardly and rearwardly inclined steering post 32 is journaled in the intermediate portion thereof. T0 the lower end of the post 32, is rigidly secured a bevel gear 33, with Awhich the bevel gears 28 and 29 mesh at diametrically opposite points. To the upper end of the steering post 32 is rigidly secured a hand wheel Obviously, by turning the hand wheel 34, the gears 28 and 29 maybe rotated to impart angular steering movements to the wheels 6, in the same manner as in the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, inclu- -sive. It is important to note that by using the two gears 28 and 29, the steering rod 9 is moved endwise at twice the speed as one of said gears would move the same.

Bv the use of either of the above described steering-gears, a vehicle may be set to run in a given direction and will continue to so run, until again changed, thus leaving the operator-s hands free.

lVhile the inventionis shown applied vto y cured against radial movement, means fordrivmg the pinion, and means for sliding the gear on the steering rod into and out of oper` ative engagement with said pinion.

2. The combination with a motor driven vehicle having steering elements, of a rotatable steering rod secured with respect to the steering elements and having a knuckle joint, a stationary'nut block having screwthreaded engagement with said steering rod, a gear keyed to the steering rod and through which said steering rod is free to slide longitudinally, a pinion secured against radial movement, means for driving the pinion, and means for sliding the gear on the steering rod into and out of operative engagement with said pinion.

3. The combination with a motor driven vehicle having steering elements, of a rotatable steering rod secured with respect to said steering elements, a stationary nut block having screw-threaded engagement with said steering rod, a pair of gears keyed to the steering rod and through which said steering rod is free to slide longitudinally, a pinion secured against radial movement, means for driving the pinion, and means for moving either of said gears, at will, into operative engagement with said pinion.

4. The combination with the chassis of a motor driven vehicle havinga rigid front axle, arm-equipped stub axles pivoted to said rigid axle, wheels journaled on said stub axles, and a tie rod connecting the arms of said stub axles, of a. rotatable steering rod secured in respect to said tie rod, a stationary nut block secured to said chassis and having serev -threaded engagement with said steering rod, a pair of bevel gears keyed to said steering rod and through which said steering rod is free to slide longitudinally,

an engine driven pinion, and means for moving either of said gears, at Will, into operative engagement With said pinion.

5. The combination Withthe chassis of a motor driven vehicle having a rigid frontfree to slide longitudinally, an engine driven l pinion, yielding means tending to hold said pinion in a neutral position, and means for movingeither of said gears, at will, into operative engagement with said pinion.

6. The combination, with the chassis of a motor driven vehicle having a rigid front aXle, arm-equipped stub axles pivoted to said rigid axle, Wheels journaled on said stub axles, and a tie rod connecting the arms of said stub axles, of a steering rod secured in respect to said tie rod, `a nut block secured to said chassis and having screw-threaded engagement with said steering rod, a pail.` of friction gears keyed to said steering rod and through which said steering rod is free to slide longitudinally, an engine driven friction pinion, yielding means tending to hold said pinion in neutral position, and means for moving either of said gears, at will, into rictional Contact With said pinion.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN R. KUNZELMAN.

Witnesses:

GEO. S. MALESKI, EMIL A. RUF, 

